Normally, a remote control transmitter that controls Frame Advance, Play and Fast Play of recording in DVD recorders by installing a ring-shaped operation member called the jog dial that freely rotates on a case and by rotating a dial key is known as the remote control transmitter for remotely controlling image playing devices such as DVD recorders (See, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-36508 (“JP '508”), claim 4, page 3, from line 36 to line 50; page 4, from line 26 to line 32, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3).
This remote control transmitter has a rotation detection means that detects the rotation angle of the jog dial, generates control data corresponding to the rotation angle of the jog dial detected by the rotation detection means, transmits the control data embedded in infrared control signals to a DVD recorder that is a controlled device, and controls the frame advance play of recording following the control data.
A remote control transmitter having the case in which input switches for selecting a plurality of controlled devices and controlled contents are installed, transmitting the control data depending on the controlled device selected by the input operation of the input switches, and controlling the controlled device according to the control data is also known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-245371 (“JP '371”), Abstract, page 5, section 7, line 49 to page 6, section 9, line 9, page 11 line 25 to line 38, FIG. 5).
However, since the remote control transmitter referred in JP '508 needs to transmit infrared control signals by aiming at controlled devices, the longitudinal length of the case is limited to dimensions that can be handled by a single hand, and the installed position and the size of the jog dial are set in such a way that the rotation operation of the jog dial installed on the plane is operable with the thumb of the hand that holds the case. As a result, the size of the jog dial is smaller than the width of the case and the outer diameter of the jog dial also needs to be small so that the rotation operation is possible with the tip of a finger of the holding hand, therefore, there is a problem in operation of the rotation operation of the jog dial in fine angular steps.
In order to solve this problem, as shown in JP '371, if a remote control transmitter transmits control data to a controlled device using radio wave signals, aiming at the controlled device by holding the case with hand is not necessarily needed, thus a stationary-type that is placed on a table can be employed and a freely rotating jog dial with a large outer diameter can be installed on an enlarged case. However, same as the conventional transmitters, for the jog dial having the rotation operation plane that is parallel to the plane of the case, depending on the position relationship between an operator and the remote control transmitter, the elbow of the operator may be raised and the rotation operation is performed by touching it with a finger tip that is pointed in the vertical position, therefore there is a different problem in the operation. On the other hand, if the rotation operation plane of the jog dial is formed along the vertical plane, the operation force for the rotation operation acts parallel to the placement plane of the case, thus the rotation operation may not be operable because the rotation operation plane is separated from the finger tip due to sliding of the case.
For the reasons described above, although the jog dial is suitable as an input means by rotation operation, it has not been used in stationary-type transmitters and its use has been limited in the remote control transmitters that are operated by holding the case with hand.
The present invention has considered these usual problems and its objective is to provide a stationary remote control transmitter that allows the rotation operation of the ring-shaped operation member in fine angular steps, and is excellent in operation of the rotation operation.
A further objective is to add a stationary remote control transmitter that can include a jog dial that is excellent in rotation operation to a group of the stationary-type remote transmitters.